Handle Business Meetings Like A Pro

Working for myself, I take a lot of business meetings, as an entrepreneur you have to deal with a lot of vendors that  may want to do business with you and provide products or services.  It is surprising however, how many folks usually appear completely unprepared for meetings with a potential business partners or potential new clients  Along the way I have found some simple things that can increase your chances of landing that big account or that great business partner.

Research

First thing is to research you business partner or company you want to do business with.  I mean stalk them on social media, look at their website, find out everything you can about the individual that you are going to meet, find out if the company has been in the press. This information is important because when you have your business meeting, it will be obvious that you have done your homework, you are well prepared for the meeting and share some common Interests.

Have a conversation

When it is time to have a meeting, have a conversation.  Compliment your potential client and business partner on what they have done so far no matter how large or small an organization.  Every entrepreneur is proud of what they have built and it would be great if they are acknowledged for that.  The biggest no-no in a meeting is to minimize what they have done or suggest they have “further to go” (trust me it has happened in a meeting before).  Also a pet peeve of mine is when, women are not acknowledged in a meeting.  If you are having a meeting with 2 business partners ( a man and a woman) and all the attention is directed to the man as if the woman does not make decisions, you will absolutely not get the business you want, tip- do not alienate a key decision maker based on gender.

Be enthusiastic about your product and provide value, in other words provide the service or product that the business needs.  Keep your conversation short and pleasant, time is extremely valuable and respect the person’s time.

Send a Note

Send a thank you note after the meeting and follow up with a call or email, then wait.  Sometimes a business will do business with you immediately, sometimes it may not be the right time or they may not do any business with you at all. The important thing is to make sure you continue with your current business you have at hand and other clients, do not depend on this one client to do business with you so you can pay your rent, try not to have an air of desperation, desperation is like blood in the water and makes everyone uneasy, so check with the business from time to time and just wait till the business is ready to do business with you.

How do you handle business meetings?  I would love to know please subscribe and comment!